Writer of Speculative Fiction

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Language School sitcom

It would be easy to set a sitcom in a school for foreign languages. You would have a cast of regulars — the instructors; recurring characters — students taking multiple languages, advanced courses, or multi-session classes; and one-off appearances by guest stars and extras — walk-ins off the street inquiring about taking classes, students who drop out, and so on.

With a bunch of languages taught by native speakers from different countries, there would be ample opportunities for fish-out-of-water stories, where the teachers have difficulty with American culture; for culture-clash / odd-couple situations between instructors; for students’ experiences in foreign countries or with strange new concepts; and so on.

The structure has the advantage that it could be rather soap-opera-like: teachers could constantly be leaving to return to their home countries, or leaving for other jobs in the United States; students might be taking long or short language courses; and so on. Lots of flexibility both for one-off stories and for longer story arcs.

I’m not really saying that I’d watch it, but I think it could be done as compellingly as any other tv drama/comedy series, in the style either of an American or British sitcom.

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2 thoughts on “Language School sitcom”

This is a great one. Do you think of sit-com ideas all the time? If so, I suffer the same thing, and sometimes wish there was a medication for it 😉 This one I’ve never seen done, though, and would give a good excuse to have on pretty girls from all over the globe … I commend you, sir.